With advances in information and communication technologies and semiconductor technologies, electronic devices such as smartphones have become a necessity of modern life. A smartphone may have a subscriber identity card (e.g. universal integrated circuit card (UICC)) to provide call and Internet access services.
The subscriber identity card is a smart card installed in a smartphone, and may store authentication information for network access, a phonebook, and personal information such as short message service (SMS) text messages.
The subscriber identity card may authenticate the subscriber and generate a traffic security key when access is made to a mobile communication network such as global system for mobile communication (GSM), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) or long-term evolution (LTE), thereby enabling safe use of mobile communication.
The subscriber identity card may store a communication application such as subscriber identification module (SIM), universal SIM (USIM) or IP multimedia services identity module (ISIM) according to the type of a mobile communication network to which the subscriber is allowed to connect. In addition, the subscriber identity card may provide a high level security function allowing installation of various applications related to, for example, electronic wallet, ticketing, and electronic passport.
In the related art, subscriber identity cards have been manufactured as a proprietary card for a specific mobile communication operator. As such, subscriber identity cards may be released with pre-stored authentication information (e.g. USIM application, international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), and K value) for access to the network owned by the mobile communication operator. The manufactured subscriber identity cards are supplied to the mobile communication operator, which then sells the subscriber identity cards to individual subscribers. If necessary for a specific subscriber identity card, through over-the-air (OTA) technology, applications may be installed in the subscriber identity card or existing applications therein may be modified or deleted.
A subscriber having a smartphone in which a subscriber identity card is installed may access the network of the corresponding mobile communication operator to use application services. Thereafter, when a new smartphone is purchased, the subscriber identity card installed in the old smartphone may be moved to the new smartphone, so that the authentication information, mobile phone number, phonebook stored in the subscriber identity card can be used as is in the new smartphone.
Meanwhile, smartphones having multiple subscriber identity cards are commercially available in recent years. Such a smartphone with multiple subscriber identity cards enables selective access to multiple mobile communication networks of different mobile communication operators. Hence, a user carrying a smartphone with multiple subscriber identity cards may have multiple contacts associated respectively with the subscriber identity cards, and may change the current contact by selecting one of the subscriber identity cards if necessary.
However, when a particular user has multiple contacts, other persons wishing to communicate with the user may experience inconvenience because they do not know the contact currently used by the user.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.